Just over $554,000 in unpaid traffic fines were brought to the Milan Town Board’s attention by board member Chris Pike at its Monday, Feb. 17 meeting.
In examining town court records going back 20 years, Pike found that 70% of the fines came after the New York State Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act of 2019 went into effect, limiting the grounds for suspending licenses due to unpaid fines.
The act amended the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law to end license suspensions for failure to appear in court or pay fines, replacing them with income-based installment plans. The law was intended to ease financial hardship, ensure due process, and enforce fines without limiting individuals’ ability to drive.
However, the Milan Town Board expressed alarm at the amount of unpaid fines, and pointed toward the 2019 law as the reason for the increase over the past six years. “There’s no enforcement,” said Pike.
Some on the board speculated that those with higher incomes are taking advantage of the law. “I don’t think the people who are not paying us necessarily can’t afford it,” said Deputy Supervisor Jack Campisi. “What the suspicion is, it’s the other way around.”
The board plans to reach out to state representatives and has already contacted Dutchess County Legislator Chris Drago (D-19), who they said was previously unaware of the issue.
“It’s an unfair situation that puts small communities like Milan at a major disadvantage,” Drago told the Herald. “The law was put in place to protect people. Ultimately we need to find a balance to both protect people, and for towns to be able to collect fines that they are owed.”
In other business, the Town Board unanimously passed Local Law #2, amending Local Law #1 which made senior citizens and the physically disabled eligible for a partial property tax exemption.
Local Law #1 originally cited New York Real Property Law § 488, which covers tax exemptions for retirement systems. An amendment replaced that reference with §§ 467 and 457 of the New York Real Property Tax Law, correctly aligning the law with its intended exemptions for senior citizens and people with disabilities.
Highway Superintendent Glenn Butler was authorized to seek bids from dealers for a new electric SUV for the department. Butler also received approval to buy a replacement engine for a 2016 International dump truck, which experienced engine failure when the cooling system cracked. The truck is expected to be back in service within a month.
Due to a budgeting oversight, court attendants Steven Camburn and John Hughes had not been receiving their pay increase of $26 an hour, up from $25 an hour. The board moved to implement the new rate, retroactively applying it to Jan. 1, 2025.
Town Superintendent Al Lo Brutto was authorized by the board to sign an agreement with Dutchess County to enact the self-insured Workers Compensation Plan, allowing the town municipalities to pay for claims using its own revenue, rather than going through a third-party insurer. The board also authorized the invitation of sealed bids for reconstruction of the former Assessor’s Office, increasing the space by roughly 4 feet and dividing it into two offices, one for accounting and one for the Building Inspector Jake Exline. The board also authorized the installation of aluminum lamp posts outside the Town Hall.
The next Town Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 17.